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Ducat - William IV
| Issuer | Lordship of Bergh (Dutch States) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1577 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Reference(s) | Delmonte G#710 |
| Obverse description | Central field displays the quartered coat of arms of William IV, Count of Bergh, enclosed within a beaded inner circle. The date 1577 appears above the shield, divided by the upper edge of the escutcheon. The circumferential Latin legend, separated by star stops, runs continuously around the outer border, identifying the issuer by his titles. The die work is characteristic of late sixteenth-century Low Countries hammered coinage, with bold relief on the heraldic charges and a slightly irregular flan. |
|---|---|
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
The Lordship of Bergh sat in a precarious position in 1577 — nominally under Habsburg suzerainty but increasingly drawn into the revolt against Spanish authority that was fracturing the Low Countries. That year, William IV of Bergh formally joined the States-General's cause, signing the Union of Brussels, which adds a pointed political dimension to any gold issue bearing his name from this period. Whether this ducat circulated freely or functioned largely as a prestige or diplomatic instrument is an open question, but production from such small lordships was never high-volume.